You Are Loved
by Brilliant Brunette Beauty
Summary: When Damian's mother puts a bounty over his head, Bruce has a feeling his son isn't as okay as he's pretending to be. *Just a nice, fluffy, emotional one-shot*


**A/N: I know Bruce and Damian already kind of talked about Damian's feelings towards Talia after she placed the bounty on his head in Batman and Robin #13, but I wanted to go more in-depth about it. So, I made a fluff. Don't judge! There needs to be more father and son fluffs of these two.**

**Enjoy!**

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The sound of heavy footsteps on the hard wood floor echo throughout Bruce Wayne's office space as he walks up and down over and over again. His expensive shoes are close to wearing a hole in the floor from pacing for what feels like hours. As always, he has what seems to be thousands of thoughts swirling around in his head, none of them seeming to slow down for even a second to allow him to gather himself together. All he gets for his troubles is a pounding headache. One question stands out amongst the rest.

_Why?_

Why would Talia put a bounty over their son's head?

He's been trying to figure this out ever since the news reached him, but he can't seem to find an answer that he likes.

Of course, logically, he knows why. Damian has chosen his father over his mother, and that makes him an enemy of the League of Assassins. All of Bruce's ideals clash with theirs, and now that Damian holds the same values, he's a target. Still, he cannot believe that Talia would condemn her own son. The child she raised from birth, the child she took so much pride in, the child _they _made; she's really ready to throw that all away because Damian would rather live in his father's world than Talia's. Bruce is still shocked. He never thought Talia would stoop _that _low.

He knows one thing, though. No one will _ever _hurt his son if he has a say in the matter. He'll protect Damian until his dying breath. None of Talia's assassin bastards will lay a finger on _his _boy. Talia lost all rights to him the second she put a bounty on him. Damian is his son and his son alone, and it's his job to look out for him.

The thought propels him to finally leave his office and walk down the hallway, walking by Damian's door. The boy has been taking this surprisingly well. He hasn't talked about it since they found out the news. He showed some surprise when he first heard he was being targeted by his own mother, but he quickly reverted back to his normal self. Bruce didn't know whether or not to be relieved or concerned at his son's behavior. He's choosing not to question it.

He walks past Damian's room softly and slowly. He doesn't want Damian to hear his footsteps. He's not sure why. Maybe he wants to give the boy some space.

Whatever his motive is, it goes out the window when he hears soft whimpering.

Bruce stops dead in his tracks, leaning in closer to the door. Did he really just hear what he thinks he heard? That can't be. Damian is always so quiet, busy listening to music or researching a criminal or something else of the sort. Besides, why would he be whimpering? Bruce stands in his place silently, listening in for another noise.

A few seconds later, he hears yet another whimper. This time, it's louder, clearer.

Is Damian… _crying?_

Damian has never been one much for tears. In fact, Bruce can't think of a time he _ever _saw Damian crying unless it's been a few tears sneaking out from the corners of his eyes when he's in severe pain. As far as sadness goes, well, he doesn't really let people see him sad. He holds in his emotions well, perhaps too well. He can't be crying. That's not how he deals with things. It must be Titus, Bruce reasons with himself. It's just a sound the dog made.

He's about to walk away when another noise hits his ears. This sound isn't exactly whimpering. It's more like a strangled cry. Like someone desperately trying to keep themselves from sobbing out loud. There's absolutely no chance _that _came from the dog.

He feels the urge to keep on walking and pretend he heard nothing, just to give Damian some space, but he does the exact opposite. Slowly, he opens the door, slipping in just a tiny amount so he can see Damian's bed in the center of the room.

The entire room is shrouded in darkness, despite it being mid-afternoon. The heavy curtains are drawn, keeping all light from crawling in. Damian's small form lays face down on his bed, his hands clutching tightly on either side of his pillow. His body is stiff, and soft whimpers emanate from his covered mouth. Though the pillow muffles them, Bruce can still hear them. Titus is laying at his side, his ears down and his big eyes glistening as he watches his owner cry silently to himself.

For a few moments, Bruce is frozen in the doorway. His mind and body can't seem to agree on what course of action to take. He doesn't know whether or not to walk out and pretend he was never here or if she should comfort his crying son. Damian may very well rebuff him, not wanting anyone to see him in such a vulnerable state. That sounds like Damian. But really, what kind of father would he be if he just stood by while his son cried into his pillow right in front of him?

Reluctantly, Bruce steps inside Damian's room and closes the door behind him. The boy is so distracted by his grief that he doesn't even notice his father's presence. His sobs only grow louder in volume. Bruce cringes. He's never heard Damian cry. He had no idea it could sound so… _heart-breaking_. He can hear the pain in Damian's voice. It's so devastating that even Bruce can feel it. It claws at his ears and tugs on his heart-strings. He has the strong and sudden urge to run over to his son and hold him in his arms until the tears disappear and the devastating sobs stop, but he represses it. Damian would just turn him away.

Instead, he tries a subtle approach. Walking over to Damian's bed slowly, he sits down next to his son's tiny body. It's just gentle enough that the preoccupied Damian doesn't notice. He's too wrapped up in his own suffering to notice a very concerned Bruce staring down at him. More soft whimpers hit Bruce's ears, muffled by Damian's pillow. It seems the more Damian tries to control himself, the more he cries. Bruce wishes more than anything that he could stop it. Seeing his child in pain brings _him _pain.

Slowly, Bruce reaches out and places a hand on Damian's back, softly rubbing up and down his spine. Damian lets out a short, shuddering gasp and goes stiff at the feeling of someone touching him.

"It's just me, son," Bruce says in a soft tone that surprises even him. He continues stroking Damian's spine gently, trying to calm him down. It takes a few seconds, but eventually, he feels Damian's body relaxing under his touch. He practically melts into the mattress, letting his father soothe him. He tries his best to keep his weeping contained, but small sounds escape him as he tries to calm down. Bruce just continues to rub up and down his spine, surprised that he seems so sensitive there. It's like magic. Damian is similar to a cat; there are very few places on him you can touch without being scratched.

Eventually, Damian quiets down. His tears have seemingly run out, and he just lays on his bed letting Bruce rub his back. Despite the occasional shuddering gasp, almost all sound has ceased. Silence hangs between them for a few more tense minutes. Bruce doesn't know what to do. He's never had to comfort Damian. Damian has always does that for himself. Grasping at straws, Bruce decides to end the silence.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

There's a few seconds of hesitation where Damian's body tenses up again. Bruce finally feels like he's getting somewhere with his stubborn bird. That is, until Damian shakes his head into his pillow, signaling that he'd rather not even bother. Bruce's heart drops just a bit. He thought he would finally get his son to open up to him. But it looks like Damian isn't comfortable spilling his soul to his father just yet. Bruce has to respect that.

"Okay, Damian," he says softly. "Just remember I'm always here if you want to talk. Alright?"

Damian nods into his pillow, not even bothering to crane his neck up.

Bruce feels reluctant to leave his boy in this state. He's a mess. But what more can he do for him? Damian made it clear that he doesn't want to open up, so there's not much Bruce can do outside of sitting on his bed and watching him cry.

Sighing, he retracts his hand and starts standing up. It's like the feeling of losing contact with his father stunned Damian out of his silence. Before Bruce can take a step away from the bed, Damian finally speaks.

"What's wrong with me?"

Bruce stops dead in his tracks and turns over to face his son again. Damian is laying on his stomach, but his head is turned on its side, away from the pillow. Now his tear stained, red face is exposed, his big blue eyes gazing up at Bruce. The look in the boy's eyes breaks Bruce's heart. He looks so broken, like he's given up all hope. His heart aches for him. Quickly, he sits back down on the bed and looks down at his son.

"Nothing," Bruce reassures him. "Why would you think anything's wrong with you?"

Damian's eyes begin tearing up again, much to his frustration. He brings a hand up and stubbornly wipes them away, refusing to be weak in front of his father. Bruce can see the anger, sadness, and frustration all written clearly on the boy's face.

"If there isn't something wrong with me, then why doesn't Mother want me?" he asks in a weak voice.

Anger flares up in the pit of Bruce's stomach. _Talia_. Her betrayal has finally gotten to Damian. His self-esteem was fragile to begin with, and now Talia has given it another crushing blow by declaring him not to be her son any longer. Bruce's fish clenches. He sees red at the thought of the pain Talia has inflicted on the boy. _She hurt his son_. When he glances back at Damian's pained expression, he calms himself down. He can be angry at Talia later, but right now, Damian needs him to be level-headed.

"Your mother isn't fit to call herself a mother," Bruce tells him. "A real mother loves her child unconditionally. I don't think Talia knows the meaning of that word."

Instead of being placated by the explanation, Damian just seems to be frustrated even further by it. He shakes his head, his brow furrowing and tears forming anew in the corners of his eyes.

"But I could have been better!" he declares tearfully. "I could have been a better son! Then she'd still love me! Then she wouldn't put out a _damned bounty _on me! It's my fault…"

Damian trails off, clutching at his pillow. He shuts his eyes tightly as new tears leak out and soak the white pillow cover, already covered in water stains from his previous bouts of sobs.

Bruce has to repress the urge to shout out just who wrong Damian is. Does he not know how loved he is? How proud he makes him? How amazing and wonderful he is already? All Damian can see is his flaws, something that was ingrained in him from birth. Bruce feels as though he's failed as a parent. Has he not taught his son how important he is to him?

In a move that surprises the both of them, Bruce gently collects Damian's body and places him on his lap, making it so Damian's face is buried in the crook of his neck, and gently rubs up and down his back again. In a matter of seconds, Bruce feels his shirt wetting with tears. Instead of hushing him, he just soothes of while he lets all his tears out.

"N-No one c-can l-lo-ove me!" Damian gasps between sobs. "I-I'm no-thing but a m-machine made f-for killing!"

He can't believe it. Is that really what how Damian views himself? Not even as a person, but as a tool? He knew his son's self-esteem was bad, but he didn't know it was this bad. It's nearly non-existent. He hugs him tighter, wishing he could somehow transfer the pain onto himself. He can't stand to see his boy in this state.

"That's not true," Bruce whispers softly. "You're not a machine, you're a human being. You're important to me, so don't talk about yourself like that, okay? Your mother was wrong. You didn't deserve what she put on you."

Damian clutches his father's shirt, sobbing harder than ever before into his neck. Bruce holds on tighter, his free hand going to Damian's hair, petting it like you would a cat.

"She doesn't want me…" Damian sobs weakly into his father's shirt. Bruce shakes his head, at a loss for words. Talia seemingly _doesn't _want him anymore. How can he comfort Damian when what he's saying is true? At a loss, Bruce goes with the first thing that comes into his head.

"_I _want you."

Damian's crying comes to a halt.

Finally, success! Sensing he's gotten Damian's attention at last, he continues.

"_I _love you. _I _want you."

Damian pulls away slightly and lets out a bitter laugh, shaking his head.

"How could you?" he asks, sounding desolate and empty. "You didn't even want me. I was just dumped on you suddenly and you had to take me in because it was the right thing to do. I've been nothing but a thorn in your side from the day we met. Don't lie to me."

So much has changed between the two since the first time they met. Bruce must admit, he _didn't _want Damian at first. It wasn't the best time to add a new addition to the family, and the child was untamed, rude, and violent. But he's also so many other things, as Bruce has learned from their time together. He's witty. He's passionate. He's talented. He's loyal. He's protective. He's even a natural with animals. Bruce learns something new about him every day. And each new trait he sees in his son just makes him love the boy all the more. He's not here as a charity case. He's here because he's a member of this family. He's here because he's _loved_.

Reaching out, he lifts up Damian's chin so their identical blue eyes meet. He stares back into Damian's watery eyes with an intense gaze.

"Listen to me very carefully, Damian," Bruce begins, his voice gentle but stern. "We had a rough start, I'll acknowledge that. But we've both grown since then. We've both changed for the better. I like to believe I taught you more about compassion, but I suppose we should credit Dick for that."

Damian gives him a small smile at the mention of his beloved older brother and ex-mentor.

"And you've taught me so much about being a father. I made missteps with Dick, Jason, and Tim. You were my chance to start over and raise a child the right way. You aren't easy to deal with by any means, but I've always loved a challenge. If your mother doesn't appreciate who I'm teaching you to be, then that's on her. She's the one missing out."

Damian looks at him with his large, watery blue eyes, his gaze intense and hopeful.

Bruce brings him closer.

"No matter what, Damian, you are loved. Don't you ever forget that. Dick loves you, Alfred loves you, and even Tim and Jason love you, though they'd rather swan dive into a vat of toxic waste than admit to it."

Damian lets out a small laugh, and Bruce's heart soars at the rare sound. Laughs from Damian are rare on good days, much less when he's upset. It's a rare treat to hear him laugh.

"And most of all, _I_ love you. I know I don't tell you that enough, but I do."

Damian looks up at him with wide eyes. Shock is written all over his face. Bruce's words stunned him more than Bruce predicted they would.

"I… I-I love you too, Father," Damian replies softly. Bruce just smiles warmly at his son, petting his hair again.

Bruce holds his son until he falls asleep, finally exhausted by all his crying. He gazes down at his sleeping boy, appreciating the rarity of this beautiful moment. Damian has never allowed Bruce to hold him before, but now that he has, he never wants to let go. Smiling down at the slumbering child, Bruce leans down and kisses his forehead lightly.

Finally tucking him into bed, Bruce thinks back to what caused all the misery that evening. Despite all the grief it has caused Damian, Bruce can't help but laugh when he thinks of what Talia has done. He knows the day will come when she regrets it and wants her son back.

Well, too bad for her.

It's her loss.

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**A/N: I finished this at 4:30 am, so I apologize if I made mistakes or if you hated it...**

**Please, feel free to review and tell me what you think.**

**Also, I have two other Damian one-shots you could check out; Forgive Me Son, For I Have Sinned and Like Father, Like Son. My full Damian story is called I'm Home. :)**

**I was also thinking of making a Damian based one-shot series... So if you have any opinions on that, please let me know.**

**Goodbye and thank you for reading!**


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